1. Field
The present disclosure relates to a pharmaceutical composition for preventing or treating ocular surface disease, the pharmaceutical composition including a novel peptide as an active component.
2. Description of the Related Art
The ocular surface is a specialized body surface consisting of conjunctival epithelial cells and corneal epithelial cells. These cells constitute a healthy ocular surface with tears secreted from main and accessory lacrimal glands, and such a healthy ocular surface is essential for optimal functions of the eyes.
The cornea is a transparent and avascular tissue occupying about ⅙ of a front surface of the eyes. Corneal nerves are developed since the cornea is responsible for not only protecting the eyes from the outside, but also performing key features regarding light refraction and transmission. The cornea has five layers including corneal epithelium, Bowman's layer, corneal stroma, descemet's membrane, and corneal endothelium. The corneal epithelium cells occupy about 10% of the thickness of the entire cornea, and are continuous with the conjunctival epithelium and are composed of about 5 to 7 layers of cells which are shed away about 7 to 14 days after proliferation in the basal layer.
Corneal lesion is one of the most frequently diagnosed diseases, and is a main cause of visual impairment. Corneal lesion may be caused by various reasons, and for example, may be mainly caused by allergies, infections, dry eyes, surgical operations, or other traumas. In the case of corneal injury or disease, the original state of the corneal is destroyed. Corneal injury may stimulate lateral movement of corneal epithelial cells, which are believed to be provided from limbal stem cells, infiltration of inflammatory cells, and angiogenesis in the injured stroma. Furthermore, corneal angiogenesis, inflammation, and chemical injuries on the cornea may adversely affect transparency of the eyes and may subsequently cause the loss of sight, requiring prompt treatment. However, therapeutic agents that are currently commercially available for ocular surface diseases may include steroids or non-steroidal inflammatory agents, but the steroids or non-steroidal inflammatory agents are used only as relaxants.